It’s the most coveted division in boxing and two titanic figures of the heavyweight class will finally square off.
A colossal clash, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will trade leather to decide who’ll be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world for first time since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
We say finally because as is customary in the sport, doubt as to whether the bout would come to fruition was a near constant from the outset.
A Long Road
From the politics between promoters to discrepancies over purse splits, scheduling fights – let alone championship contests – is seldom plain sailing.
With all the variables threatening to thwart the duel, it was a cut sustained to Fury in training that resulted in a lengthy postponement.
Following this, a series of provisions, including a heavy fine, were put in place in a bid to prevent any further withdrawals.
Where is Fury v Usyk?
Now a hub for mammoth match ups, this event will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
What date is Fury v Usyk?
The route to this fight now looks obstacle free and should go ahead on the Saturday, 18 May.
What time does Fury v Usyk start?
Fight fans can expect the preliminary contests to begin at around 3pm, with the main card starting at 6pm, and the main event ringwalks set for 10:10pm.
The Rivalry
War of words are part of the fight game. For many fighters, they’re a weapon that can be skilfully deployed to gain a psychological edge.
It seems as though the Gypsy King and The Cat have been verbally jabbing at each other for an eternity.
Their jibes have been far from the poetic tirades reeled off by the legendary Muhammad Ali. Instead, both men have taken aim at their opponent’s stature.
Tyson Fury doesn’t possess the physique that many might associate with heavyweight boxing. It’s often the subject of ridicule, with the more muscular Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua berating him for it.
So too has the Ukrainian. A quick scroll through his socials and before long you’ll find a clip of him calling his foe ‘belly’.
As we know, Fury doesn’t have a conventionally athletic body. That doesn’t stop him dishing digs out of his own.
AJ is considerably leaner, but Fury has still found room to criticise his compatriot’s frame, referring to him as a ‘skinny bodybuilder’.
Usyk hasn’t escaped the firing line. At 6’9”, Fury towers over him. And he’s made this known. At 6’3” and somewhat lighter than Fury, the Brit’s brandished his dance partner an ‘ugly little man’ and vowed to demonstrate what a ‘heavyweight does to a middleweight’.
Fury’s Flaws
They’re both undefeated, but that doesn’t mean that they’re without their faults. Fury boasts an impressive CV with wins over Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte, Deontay Wilder, and mostly recently Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou was making his debut after crossing over from MMA. Most thought it’d be a routine evening for Tyson. It was anything but. The Nigerian floored the Brit and Fury won contentiously via split decision.
Despite sharing the ring with boxing’s elite, by his own admission, Fury’s toughest fight was with Steve Cunningham.
Worryingly for Tyson, there are some parallels between the American and his upcoming opponent. Before going up to heavyweight, standing at 6’3”, Cunningham was a champion at cruiserweight.
Diminutive in contrast, Fury said the Philadelphia man was ‘slick’, ‘hard to hit’, and ‘very awkward’ – these are all plaudits that could easily be attributed to Oleksandr Usyk.
The man himself, who was able to floor Fury in the second round, has backed Usyk to prevail with his hand raised.
“He’s got quirky movements; he’s awkward. He thinks different in there, he takes angles. He’s the highest level of boxing that we see right now. He can land shots on Fury that can cause considerable frustration for Fury”.
Unlocking Usyk
He’s difficult to crack, AJ can testify to that, and Tony Bellew – amongst others – can vouch for his precision and power.
His record’s perfect but that doesn’t mean his defence is impregnable. Dave Coldwell, an experienced trainer, believes Usyk’s weakness are shots to his body.
Delving into his amateur career can substantiate this vulnerability. The heavy-handed Artur Beterbiev dropped him with a punch to the liver. Two years later, Magomedrasul Majidov decked Usyk with a straight to the stomach.
More recently, Daniel Dubois almost dethroned the champion with what was eventually deemed to be a low blow – though the debate around this rumbles on.
Southpaws are notoriously tricky. But Fury might be able to use Usyk’s stance to his advantage. He is prone to holding his lead hand out to control the distance. With Fury being taller, and not lacking speed, Usyk could be susceptible to piercing jabs.
Diving Into the Data
Much of a fighter’s camp will be refining the finer details and hatching a gameplan. A look into the numbers could provide an insight into how the fight might play out.
Fury’s Last Five Fights
Let’s take a look at Fury’s output. Per round, he’s thrown an average of 33 punches, with an average of 12 landing.
Round four is when Fury’s lacking proficiency, with just 28% of his punches being accurate. This could be forgiven as the early stages of fights can be a case of studying the opponent.
Fury warms around round five and is at his most productive with an average of 45 punches distributed.
Busiest in the fifth round, but when is he at his most effective? Round nine is when Fury’s efficacy hits its peak. A substantial 42% of punches found their target.
Fury’s Opponents’ Last Five Fights
Able to switch stances, no easy feat for a behemoth of a man, how do Fury’s opponents approach such a task?
Over his last five fights, Fury has faced an average of 26 punches per round, with an average of just six (23%) landing. He’s difficult to hit. His head movement against Otto Wallin was sublime.
Opponents pick up the pace in round eight: across his last five fights, an average of 33 punches were thrown.
But it’s the very first round where his opponents had the most joy with 30% of punches troubling Tyson. Is this a deliberate tactic of trying to catch the champ cold? Could we see a similar scintillating start by Usyk?
Seemingly lackadaisical in the first round, Fury establishes himself in the latter rounds. In round 10, his challengers are reduced to landing only 18% of their punches.
Usyk’s Last Five Fights
What figures are Usyk and his opponents producing? In his last five fights, on average, the Ukrainian let his hands go 56 times with 14 successfully landing.
Slow to start, The Cat lands the least punches in round one. But given the stats show this is the round when Fury’s exposed, might we see Usyk pick up the pace?
On average, in his last five fights, Usyk throws his most punches in round 10, with an effort of 67. An impressive number given the late round.
Even more impressive, he’s at his most efficient in the final round. Testament to his stamina and surgical shots, 33% of his punches are successful.
Usyk’s Opponents’ Last Five Fights
Showcasing his defence, per round over five fights, Usyk saw 45 punches come his way, with an average of nine being scored by the judges. That’s just 20%, which is marginally better than Fury’s percentage.
Fancying their chances early on, Usyk’s opponents swing for him on average 56 times in round one. This energy might be wasted. In his last five tests, it’s round 10 when he’s caused the most bother, with 27% of his opponents’ punches hitting.
Nullifying his opponents with footwork and ring control is one of Usyk’s many skills. He uses this to great effect in round seven, when only 13% of punches breach his guard.
The Undercard
It’s a stacked bill that includes two more world title fights. Jai Opetaia takes on Mairis Briedis for the vacant IBF world cruiserweight title, and Joe Cordina defends his IBF world super featherweight title against Anthony Cacace.
Also in action is the veteran Sergey Kovalev who’ll tussle with Robin Sirwan Safar, and British heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma goes head-to-head Ilja Mezencev.
With loads of other tantalising fights, this is an event that you won’t want to miss. For all of your boxing needs, give this link a click!
